An individual connector in the sense of the present invention can be an electrical connector including a pin contact on the one hand and a spring loaded jacket on the other hand, either for transmitting low power electrical signals or for supplying electrical power to a load such as an arc welding device. The individual connector can also serve to couple pneumatic or hydraulic pipes under high or low pressure. A multiconnector assembles a great number of individual connectors of the same kind of even of different kinds.
Known multiconnectors comprise means for aligning a free plug unit to a stationary socket unit prior to any operative engagement of the individual connectors. In general, these means use guide pins which cooperate with guide holes and which have tapered or conical tips, such that the two units of the multiconnector becomes automatically aligned as soon as the guide pins enter into the corresponding guide holes.
The known multiconnectors suffer from several drawbacks, especially if they are to be coupled by remote handling. First of all, it is quite difficult to ensure a simultaneous alignment of at least two guide pins with the corresponding guide holes, if the accessibility and visibility of the multiconnector is reduced. Secondly, an alignment error during the first approach phase can entail the jamming of the whole system and necessitate an emergency intervention. Thirdly, the forces necessary to definitively engage the individual connectors all at one time are considerable and call for very powerful handling systems.